The home opener of a baseball season is a day for celebration, jubilation and a hot dog or two. Good Friday is a day for Catholics to engage in penance, prayer and avoidance of eating meat. The two things will come into direct conflict on April 10 in Detroit. All 30 teams have games scheduled on that day, but only the Tigers are playing in the early afternoon. That puts them in direct competition with church services for the holiday and it's causing problems for some Catholic baseball fans in the Motor City.
Some say they'll still go to the game, but stick to peanuts and popcorn, while others are upset and asking for a change in the schedule, according to the Detroit Free-Press.
"It's sort of an insult for Catholics," said Michael Ochab. "I'm still hoping the Tigers will change the time."While nothing offers a chance for somber reflection like the pitching staff of the visiting Texas Rangers, it's understandable that some fans are peeved about having to make a choice between honoring their spiritual and secular religions. Home openers are traditionally day games, but there are always exceptions to rules and major holidays seem like as good a reason as any for one of them to be put into play.
That said, there's a pretty long history of conflicts between God and baseball. Sandy Koufax's decision to skip a World Series start on Yom Kippur is legendary, but it hasn't stopped other baseball games from being played on the holiest day on the Jewish calender. Easter Sunday is also a busy day of baseball action, for that matter, which just means that there are times when we have to make choices.
That's also the take of the fan mentioned above who will be at the game. He's Bill Ferris, a.k.a. Billfer of The Detroit Tigers Weblog. He acknowledges the difficulty in making the choice, and writes that "it is a conflict that I need to work through and I wouldn't expect the Tigers or MLB to try and accommodate me in this regard."
